Zhang Ruijin (left) and Lin Baoying are accused in human trafficking charges of forcing dozens to work for a firm that conducted scam operations. - SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
SINGAPORE: Foreign nationals Zhang Ruijin and Lin Baoying, who were convicted in Singapore over money laundering offences, have been named in charges filed in the Philippines against former mayor Alice Guo.
The three individuals, who are originally from China, are accused in human trafficking charges with 11 others of forcing dozens of people to work for a firm that conducted scam operations.
The compound in Bamban, Tarlac was raided in March 2024.
Police found 432 Chinese nationals, 371 Filipinos, 57 Vietnamese, eight Malaysians, three Taiwanese, two Indonesians and two Rwandans at the site.
Guo was the mayor of Bamban, which is about a two-hour drive from Manila.
The Philippines’ Department of Justice (DOJ) filed charges on Sept 17 for qualified human trafficking against 14 individuals including Guo, Zhang, Lin, Philippine national Rachel Joan Malonzo Carreon and Cypriot national Huang Zhiyang.
Zhang and Lin, who were each sentenced to 15 months’ jail after they pleaded guilty in Singapore to money laundering and forgery charges, were deported to Cambodia after serving their sentence.
The scam centre was located on land owned by Baofu Land Development. Guo, Zhang, Lin, Carreon and Huang had incorporated the development firm in 2019.
The crime of qualified trafficking is non-bailable and usually carries the penalty of life imprisonment. Human trafficking is considered as qualified if it is committed by a syndicate, involves slavery and forced labour, among other things.
Guo, who was stripped of her mayorship in August, was arrested on Sept 3 in Indonesia following her escape from the Philippines in July amid investigations into her alleged links to Chinese criminal syndicates.
She reportedly stayed in Singapore for about a month after leaving the Philippines.
Following her arrest, Guo was brought back to face the Philippine Senate on Sept 9.
She is now facing a court-issued arrest warrant over graft-related offences. She is also being investigated for tax fraud and laundering criminal proceeds totalling 100 million pesos (S$2.3 million).
Guo, whose real name is believed to be Guo Hua Ping, has been quizzed by lawmakers about where she was born and raised.
She has been accused by senators of hiding her Chinese nationality by fabricating her birth certificate and other records so that she could run for public office, a right reserved only for Philippine citizens.
Huang is reportedly the “boss of all bosses” of illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators, or Pogos, in the country, according to Philippines community newspaper SunStar.
Pogos, which operate online casino games for customers outside the country, have been a source of controversy in the Philippines. They contributed around $1.3 billion to the economy in 2022.
Although they are registered and licensed by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp, some lawmakers claim the licensed online gambling operators are a front for scam hubs that exploit human trafficking victims.
Zhang and Lin were deported to Cambodia on June 15 after serving their sentence.
Zhang was subsequently deported from the kingdom on July 16, according to Cambodia’s General Department of Immigration. Phnom Penh did not specify which country he was sent to. - The Straits Times/ANN
